Face plate construction for spring sash balance



Oct. 16, 1956 A. W, ANDERBERG ET AL 2,766,489

FACE PLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR SPRING SASH BALANCE Filed March 10, 195; 2Shets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TORS.

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FACE PLATE CONSTRUCTION FOR SPRING SASH BALANCE I Filed March 10, 1953 2Sheets-Sheeii 2 4X IN V EN TORS B m/Z 62 mm %c z a ATTQZEYS.

United States Patent Otfice 2,766,489 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 FACE PLATECONSTRUCTION FOR SPRING 'SA'SH BALANCE Axel W. Anderberg, Los Angeles,and Wilbur F. Blake- 'more, Beverly Hills, Calif., assignors to A. W.Anderberg Manufacturing Co., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation ofCalifornia Application March 10, 1933, Serial No. 341,506

'12 Claims. (Cl. 20-12) The present invention relates generally tospring type sash balances of the type commonly used to counterbalancethe weight of a vertically sliding sash; and the invention is moreparticularly concerned with improvements in the construction andconfiguration of the face plate of the sash balance.

"It is conventional practice to place a sash balance of this type in thejamb of the window frame, the sash balance being set into the frame insuch a manner that the surface of the face plate is substantially flushwith the inner surface of the window frame so that each sash can slideup and down over the sash balance. In the ordinary double-hung windowthere are two sashes within theframe; and these are guided on one sideby a vertical parting bead which is a narrow strip of wood mounted onthe jamb of the window frame by being set into a groove in the jamb. Theparting bead in conventional practice is continuous from the top to thebottom of the frame and is notched where it passes over the sashbalance. In actual practice, the parting bead is often broken in theprocess of notching it because the notchin-g so reduces the crosssection that the bead is easily broken at the notch, unless the grain ofthe wood lies in such direction as to be favorable to notching. Thebroken bead is discarded and another one out.

' Considerable time is required to, carefully and properly notch aparting head for this purpose, although the operation is essentially asimple one. If the job is not carefully done, there may be considerableclearance between the bead and the sash balance through which air canpass; and even with care exercised in fitting it is not possible toeliminate all such air leakage. For this reason it has not beenconsidered practical to Weatherstrip double-hung windows using a springtype sash balance and the use of this balance is therefore looked uponwith disfavor in colder climates where Weatherstripping of the Windowsis desired.

Another marked disadvantage of the conventional con struction comes tolight when it is necessary to remove a sash balance for any reason, aswhen a spring breaks and a new .unit is required as a replacementfor'the old one. Because the parting strip is continuous and passes over thesash balance, it is necessary to remove the parting strip as apreliminary step to removing the sash balance. In turn, this can beaccomplished only by first removing the trim molding inside the frame sothat the inner sash can be taken out of the frame. While this is not aparticularly difiicult operation, yet it requiresconsiderable care andtime to remove the molding from the window without irreparably'scarringand damaging the frame; and even with the greatest of care, it isusually necessary to repaint the entire window frame and trim inorder toremove signs of the repair work. e

f Thus it is a general object of our invention to modify theconventional type of parting bead where it passes over aspring type sashbalance to eliminate time and labor spent in fitting and to make foreasier removal of thebead. V 3

It is also an object of our invention to construct the face plate of theconventional spring type sash balance in such a manner that an elementcarried by the face plate can serve as a parting bead for the length ofthe balance.

It is a further object of our invention to modify the conventional sashbalance so that there is no air leakage around or past the parting beador equivalent member where it passes over the sash balance, thussimplifying the problem of Weatherstripping the sash.

These and other objects of our invention have been attained in a sashbalance constructed according to our invention by providing on the faceplate, which is fastened to the jamb of the frame, a longitudinallyextending rib that projects outwardly from and is secured to the faceplate. This rib is in alignment with the conventional par-ting beadcarried in the jamb above and below the sash balance so that thecontinuity of the conventional wooden parting bead is interrupted andthe gap between the ends of the wooden bead is bridged entirely by thisrib carried by the face plate. The rib conforms in size and shape to theparting bead to perform the functions of the bead. The rib may be eitheradjustably or rigidly secured to the face plate in any one of a numberofways, as by separate fastening means or by being formed as an integralpart of the face plate. If a separable member is attached to the faceplate, then a com-. pletely air tight fit between the face plate and therib may, if desired, be achieved by placing a thin layer of suitablesealing material between the rib and the outer surface of the faceplate.

This novel construction has several advantages. Not only is it easierand quicker to install sash since the operation of notching the partingbead is entirely eliminated, but an airtight fit at the sash balance isobtained so that there is no problem of air leakage with usual kinds ofWeatherstripping. Furthermore, since the parting bead is now in twoseparate sections, one at either side of the rib carried on the balance,each section of the bead can be removed without disturbing either sashand it is not ordinarily necessary to remove either sash from the framein order to change the balance. These advantages are discussed infurther detail in the description below.

Although we show the sash balance in the vertical side member of thewindow frame, we are not necessarily limited to that location asbalances are sometimes in the horizontal head member, often termed thehead jamb, of the frame which also has a parting bead in the usualconstruction. Our invention may also be utilized when the'balance is inthe head above the sashes. Consequently the term jamb as used herein isused in a generic sense to refer to either the side jamb or head jamb ofa window frame.

How the above objects and advantages of our invention, as :well asothersnot particularly referred to herein, are attained will be betterunderstood by reference to the following description and to the annexeddrawings, in which: i

Fig. l is a fragmentaryvertical section through the attached rib of Fig.3;

Fig. is a top end view of the sash balance with its cover plate andattached rib formed as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred form of detachable rib,shown in Figs. l5, removed from the cover plate of the sash balance;

Fig. 7 is a transverse cross section of the cover plate taken above thespring housing showing the use with a rib of the type shown in Fig. 5 ofa layer of a sealing material between the rib and face plate;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of ourinvention;

Fig. 9 is a top end view of the sash balance shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the modified form of detachable ribshown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section through a sash balance showing anintegral rib on the cover plate; and

Fig. 12 is a transverse section, similar to Fig. 7, showing anothermodified form of our invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig.

1 a spring type sash balance, generally indicated at 10, mounted inplace in the jamb 12 of a window frame. It is conventional practice tocut a rectangular opening 14 in the jamb to receive the sash balance,permitting the I sash balance to be mounted in such a manner that faceplate 15 is substantially flush with the inner surface of the jambfacing the window sash. As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, faceplate 15 extends both above and below the main body of the sash balanceto overlap the jamb for a short distance. The face plate is fastened tothe jamb by any suitable means, such :as nails 16.

The details of construction of the sash balance are in no way limitativeupon the present invention; but in order to make a complete disclosureof our invention we show herein a spring type sash balance 10 such as isdescribed more fully in the co-pending application of Axel W. Anderberg,Ser. No. 196,320, filed November 17, .950 and which became Patent No.2,644,193 on July 7, 1953 on Spring Sash Balance. In general, the sashbalance includes a pair of drums 18 each of which is rotatably mountedupon a hub 20. Inside each drum is a spiral spring, not shown in thedrawings, which connects the rotating drum to the stationary hub andtends to rotate the drum about the hub in a given direction. Woundaround the outside of each drum 18 is a cable 22 which at one endextends out of and below the balance. Each cable 22 is connected to oneof the sash in any suitable way, as by a metal angle clip 23 fastened tothe free end of the cable. In Fig. 1 one clip 23 is shown in place atthe lower corner of upper sash 24. A similar clip, not shown in thedrawing, connects the other cable 22 to a lower corner of lower sash 25.It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the two cables extend downwardlybetween the face of jamb 12 and the sash to which they are connected,there being suflicient clearance between the sash and jamb for thispurpose.

The two drums of the sash balance are enclosed by a housing or coverplate 26 which is connected to face plate 15 by any suitable means, butpreferably by being connected to one end of each of the two hubs 20, theother end of each hub being connected to the face plate. Each end of thehubs has a pair of projections or lugs a that project through the faceplate or cover, as the case may be, and are then flattened or upset torivet the hub to the cover and the face plate.

Jamb 12 is conventionally provided with a normally vertical,longitudinally extending groove 28 into which parting bead 29 isinserted. As seen clearly in Fig. 2, both groove 28 and parting bead 29are interrupted in their continuity by the presence of the sash balance,normally located near or a short distance above their midpoint. Theparting bead 29 is here in two separate and independent sections, oneabove and the other below the sash balance.

The purpose of the parting bead is to serve as a guide for the sashes asthey slide up and down between open and closed positions. The sash areoffset laterally, as shown in Fig. 2 so that one sash lies at each sideof the parting bead. Upper sash 24, which is normally nearer the outsideof the window, lies between the parting bead and molding 30. Lower sash25 is on the other or inner side of parting head 29 and is held betweenit and molding 31 along the inside edge of the window jamb. The sash aresuitably shaped where they overlap in order to meet and prevent passageof air through the window, as is conventional and well known.

In order to bridge the gap between the upper length of parting head 29and the corresponding lower length, face piate 15 is provided with acentrally located, longitudinally extending rib 33 which, generallyspeaking, may be secured to the face plate in any one of several ways,as will be explained later in greater detail. This rib is in verticalalignment with the two sections of partin'g bead; and the rib extendsover the full length of the face plate and projects a short distanceabove and below the face plate. The upper parting bead 29 abuts, orsubstantially so, upper end of the rib and the lower length of partinghead 29 abuts, or nearly so, the lower end of the rib. Parting head 29is cut to the proper length at the job site.

In this preferred embodiment, rib 33 is a separate U-shaped memberhaving edges 33a that lie in a common plane, as shown in Fig. 6. When inplace on the face plate, the rib is a hollow member. It is provided atone end with two small integral lugs or ears 34, having straight sides,that overhang the end of the face plate, as seen especially at the upperend of Fig. 4. At the other end, the rib has two hook-shaped integrallugs or cars 35, the open part 35a of the hook being preferablyrectangularly shaped to receive snugly one end of face plate 15, asshown at the lower end of Fig. 4. Between lugs 34 and preferablyextending just beyond them, there is a curved leaf spring 36 that isattached to the rib by a rivet 37 or any other suitable means. Thespring leaf is adapted to slide over the end edge of the face plate andbear against the face plate. The two sets of lugs resist movement of therib longitudinally relative to the face plate; and spring leaf 36, whenin place as in Figs. 3 and 4, resists movement of the rib normal to thesurface of the face plate. At the same time, the rib is able to slideover the surface of the face plate, though restrained by the frictionalengagement of the lugs 34 and 35 and spring leaf 36 with the face plate.

To attach the rib to the face plate, lugs 35 are hooked over one end ofthe face plate which is seated in openings 35a of the lugs as the rib isrocked toward the face plate to bring edges 3312 into engagement withthe outer surface of the face plate. Lugs 34 are properly spaced fromlugs 35 to just clear and pass over the edge of the face plate at theopposite end. By pressing on the end of rib 33, leaf spring 36 is raisedslightly and slips over the end of the face plate. Because of its curvedshape, the overhanging end of the leaf spring snaps down to a positionas in Fig. 4 in which it resists movement in the opposite direction thatwould detach the rib from the face plate. However, by pressing upwardlyor outwardly on the tip of spring 36, it disengages the face plate andallows the rib to be detached easily from the face plate.

The primary advantages of this construction are that the rib can beeasily attached to the sash balance at the job site, which simplifiespackaging, shipping, and assembly; and the frictional engagement withthe face plate holds the rib in place with sufiicient security yetallows the rib to be moved laterally of the face plate. When the sashbalance is first nailed to the jamb and the rib then located properlywith respect to groove 28 and attached as described, suitable alignmentis usually attained without further fine adjustment" .However, a smalllateral adjustment may be needed to secure a final accurate verticalalignment of the rib with the sections of parting head 29 above andbelow it. This may be accomplished by the workman on the job by tappingthe rib at one side or the other with a hammer. By this construction,variations in the location of groove 28 relative to the edge of jamb 12can be compensated for in a simple and effective manner.

When viewed endwise or in transverse cross section, the transversedimensions of rib 33 conform closely to the corresponding transversedimensions of the parting bead. As shown in Fig. 2, it is preferablethat the side faces of the rib and parting head are in verticalalignment in order to provide in effect a continuous guide against whicheach sash bears. Likewise, the heighth of the head, which is thedistance which it projects outwardly beyond the surface of face plate15, conforms to the heighth of the parting bead so that a sash as itslides up and down moves over the rib with the same clearances as overthe parting bead. Although in the over-all dimensions the rib andparting bead conform to each other as closely as practical, the exactshape of them is immaterial. Within each of several large areas in thiscountry, parting beads are almost universally of one size and shape. Asbetween these areas, however, there may be appreciable variation in thedimensions of the standard parting bead. Consequently, no single size orshape is specified for the rib on the face plate since the rib will bemade to conform to the parting bead with which it is used.

This is one reason why it is preferred to have the parting bead madeseparately from the face plate and easily attached thereto. The faceplate itself can thus be standardized and requires only a single die. Toform the rib, a blank is stamped from a sheet of flat metal and is thenbent to the desired shape in cross-section in a selected one of a set ofdies corresponding to the dimensions of a given parting bead; and itwill thus be clear that this last set of dies is the only one whichneeds any variation in order to produce the necessary variety of shapesfor the rib to match all parting beads that may be encountered.

In general, the face plates may be hat or embossed, as may be desiredfor any reason. However, it is preferable that the face plate have azone in which the outer surface lies in a single plane, said flat zoneextending for the full length of the face plate and being preferably atleast slightly wider than the rib in order to simplify construction ofthe rib and improve the closeness of the fit between the rib and theouter surface of the face plate. As may be seen particularly in Fig. 2,portions 15a at each side of the face plate are slightly depressed,leaving two raised circular bosses 15b which are in the plane of the endsections of the plate which overlie jamb 12 in order to fasten the sashbalance to the jamb. These two circular bosses and the two end sectionsare connected at tangency by narrow raised portions of the plate leavinga centrally located planar surface which is at all points wider than rib33 and over which the rib is placed.

For ordinary purposes, the fit between the flat edges 33a of the rib andthe outside surface of the face plate 15 within the planar zone justdescribed may be sufficiently close not to permit objectionable leakageof air. However, if it is desired to eliminate all leakage at thispoint, a thin sealing layer 39, as shown in Fig. 7, may be insertedbetween the face plate and rib 33. This layer of sealing material 39 maybe of any suitable substance, as for example felt, suitably treatedpaper, or the like.

As mentioned above, the rib may be secured to the face plate in any oneof a number of ways. There is shown in Figs. 8, 9, and a variationalform of our invention in which a separate rib 33' is secured to the faceplate by integral lugs 41 at each end of the rib (see Fig. 10). Lugs 41are all similar in shape, and may be similar to lugs 34, there beingpreferably two such lugs at each end. The face plate is slotted at eachend to receive the lugs which pass through the slots 40 as shown indotted lines in Fig. 9 and are then bent over to the solid line positionto secure the rib in place. This arrangement results in a substantiallyrigid placement of the rib on the face plate, though a small amount oflateral movement could be obtained by making the slots in the face plateof suitable width. Rib 33 is preferably the same length as the faceplate, and is therefore a little shorter than rib 33.

In another variational form of our invention shown in Fig. 11, rib 43 issecured in place by forming it as an integral portion of face plate 44.This may be done as a drawing operation in the process of making theface plate. This construction has advantages from the standpoint of massproduction when the rib is not too large, and of course it insures thatthere is no air leakage between the rib and the face plate. In this formof our invention, hub 20 is of sufficient diameter that the lugs 20a bywhich the hub is attached to the face plate, span rib 43, one lug 20abeing at each side of the rib.

Another variational form of our invention is shown in Fig. 12 in whichface plate 45 is formed in the same manner as face plate 15 (illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2) except that a plurality of suitably located holes areprovided in the face plate through which may be passed screws 46. Thesescrews are used to attach to the face plate solid rib 47 which is madefrom a suitable length of parting bead 29 by cutting away the baseportion of the parting bead which is normally inserted in groove 28.There is thus left the outer or exposed portion of the original partingbead which, when fastened to the face plate, has the effect of creatinga continuous parting bead. This piece of parting bead is attached to theface plate by wood screws 46 to serve as the rib. Of course, premoldedsolid ribs of plastic or other suitable material might be substitutedinstead of making rib 47 from the wood parting bead.

One of the chief advantages of our improved construction is the easewith which a sash balance 10 can be replaced. Upper and lower sash 24and 25 are normally of about the same vertical dimension so that whenthe upper sash is moved down to its extreme lower position it projectsonly a little above the top edge of sash 25 shown in Fig. 1. Then byremoving nails 16 the sash balance is unfastened from the jamb of theWindow frame. Since there is no continuous parting head over the sashbalance, it is free to be removed from the jamb by tilting the upper endforwardly or inwardly of the frame and then lifting it up to remove thelower end from between the jamb and sash. There is ordinarily enoughclearance between a sash and the jamb to remove each cable 22 by pullingit out from between the jamb and the sash. To facilitate removal of thecables from inside the window, the lower length of parting bead 29 canbe easily removed if desired either by sliding it upwardly after thesash balance is taken out of the jamb or by removing it parallel to theplane of the sash, as circumstances permit. A new balance is inserted inplace by reversing these operations.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there may be variations ofour invention thought of by persons skilled in the art, yet within thespirit and scope of our invention. Consequently the above description isconsidered as being illustrative of rather than limitative upon theappended claims.

We claim:

1. In a spring-type sash balance having a face plate and adapted to befastened to the jamb of a sash frame having a parting bead in the jamb,the balance being in a position to interrupt the parting head, alongitudinally extending rib projecting outwardly from and fastened tothe face plate and in alignment with the parting bead in the jamb aboveand below the sash balance.

2. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the transversedimensions of the rib conform substantially to the transverse dimensionsof the parting bead.

3. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the rib extendssubstantially the full length of the face plate substantially to abutthe parting bead above and below the face plate.

4. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 3 in which the face plate hasa planar zone Wider than the rib and extending the full length of theface plate.

5. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the rib is aseparate hollow member attached to the face plate.

6. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the rib is asection of the parting bead of reduced height attached to the faceplate.

7. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 which also includes meansadjustably securing the rib to the face plate for movement of the riblaterally of the face plate.

8. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the rib is providedwith means frictionally engaging the face plate to mount the rib on theplate while permitting adjustment of the rib laterally of the plate.

9. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 1 in which the rib is providedwith means for detachably securing it to the face plate.

10. A spring-type sash balance as in claim 9 in which the securing meansincludes a hook-shaped lug at one end of the rib and a spring member atthe other end adapted to engage the end of the face plate.

11. As an article of manufacture, an intermediate section of partingbead for use in a window frame having a recess for receiving aspring-type sash balance provided with a face plate, the sash balancebeing set into the recess in the frame with the face plate of the sashbalance substantially flush with the exposed outer face of the frame,said frame having a groove above and below the recess to receive othersections of parting bead, comprising: a relatively narrow elongated bodyprovided near each end with attaching means adapted to engage the faceplate to secure the intermediate section of parting bead to the faceplate, the intermediate section of parting bead being of such externaldimensions as to form a substantial continuation of parting beadsections in the groove above and below the sash balance.

12. An article of manufacture as in claim 11 in which the intermediatesection of parting bead is a hollow sheet metal member of U-shaped crosssection.

Marshall June 10, 1941 Jessup Dec. 8, 1942

